1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to providing/receiving a service from a plurality of service providers, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for allowing a client to select an Internet protocol television (IPTV) service from among IPTV services provided by a plurality of IPTV service providers, and receive the selected IPTV service from a server of the IPTV service provider.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) includes a service providing information, moving picture content and a broadcast to a TV via an IP network, i.e., ultra high speed Internet. Since integrated services with communication and broadcasting have become available, much attention has been paid to IPTV, and activation of IPTV is expected to significantly affect not only communication and broadcasting industries but also content creation and household appliance industries.
In order to allow a client to receive an IPTV service via an IP network, an additional IPTV set top box is needed. That is, only clients having an IPTV set top box manufactured according to specifications determined by a service provider who provides an IPTV service can receive the IPTV service. For example, if IPTV service providers of three companies, i.e., an A company, a B company and a C company, are present, a service consumer purchasing a set top box of the A company can use only an IPTV service provided from the A company, and must further purchase a set top box from the B or C company in order to use an IPTV service of the B or C company, respectively. An IPTV network unique to a service provider is referred to as a managed network. Under a managed network, incompatibility between an IPTV service provider and a set top box reduces the range of selection of a service consumer, thereby degrading the quality of an IPTV service or preventing the fundamentals of IPTV service from being increased.
In order to solve incompatibility between an IPTV service provider and a set top box, the Open IPTV Forum that have been recently formed is conducting a discussion about standards for IPTV services. The Open IPTV Forum is discussing the creation of common standards independent of an IPTV service provider and the provision of an IPTV service based on the standards to a service consumer.
Open IPTV is aiming at making an interface and hardware platform that are independent of an IPTV service provider so that IPTV services can be received from a plurality of IPTV service providers via one set top box. According to Open IPTV, since all services provided from a plurality of IPTV service providers can be used via one set top box, the range of service selection of a service consumer can be increased.
The standards for IPTV services is now being established so that not only IPTV services that are provided via a conventional managed network and are dependent of an IPTV service provider but also IPTV services that are provided via an open Internet network and are independent of an IPTV service provider can be provided via one set top box.